Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Orbiter Camera

Snapshot of Southern Spring Dust Storm Activity

Southern spring on Mars began with a "bang" in late June 2001 with a
series of large dust storms that in some regions were still occurring
each day well into September. By early July, the martian atmosphere
was so hazy that opportunities for high resolution imaging of the
planet were very limited. This wide angle camera view obtained by the
Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera shows a large
dust-raising event that occurred on July 8, 2001, as cold, raging
winds blew off the frozen south polar cap (bottom) and rushed toward
the network of troughs known as Labyrinthus Noctis near the martian
equator (center). A second, smaller dust storm can be seen near the
top just left of center, northwest of the Ascraeus Mons volcano
(uppermost dark elliptical feature). To give a sense of scale,
Ascraeus Mons is large enough to nearly cover the state of Washington,
home of the famous (and much smaller) Mount St. Helens
volcano. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left, and north is
toward the upper right.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of
Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer
mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego,
CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project
operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial
partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA
and Denver, CO.